This invention pertains to a protective garment adapted to prevent the wearer""s face, clothing and body from becoming wet while the wearer""s hair is being washed, rinse or otherwise treated with substantial volume of liquids.
When a person is having his or her hair washed or rinsed or otherwise treated with substantial volume of liquids in the hair styling salon or other faculties, the subject typically sits in a xe2x80x9cshampoo chairxe2x80x9d or similar specialize chair that assumed a rearly tilting posture so that the front of the subject""s head faces up over the rim of the shampoo sink or bowl. Thus, the subject""s hair is suspended downwardly into the sink where the hair and scalp can be wetted with water or hair treatment solution while prevented other portion of the subject""s body or clothing from being splashed. This method of protecting the rest of the subject""s body from getting wet works reasonably well. However, the person is still subject to some splashing of water on his clothing, face and body. One of the objective of this invention is to produce a shield that completely protects the individual from getting wet during the washing, rinsing, and shampooing of their hair.
Further, this tilt back posture for the person can be a real inconvenience to the hair stylist. For example, the subject receiving a permanent wave treatment usually must assume the tilt back posture while the stylist is rinsing permanent wave solution or neutral solution from the subject""s hair which is still in rollers. When the subject is in the tilt back posture the back of the subject""s hair is facing downward in the sink. The hair rollers situated in the back of the subject""s head can be very difficult for the stylist to rinse, even when using the hose with a rinsing nozzle, without graciously increasing the likelihood of wetting the subject or the subject""s clothing.
Also the tilt back posture can be of extremely painful to some subject and physical impossible to others, such as elderly or physically handicap person and persons confined to a hospital bed. Even average persons with normal physical abilities often experience substantial discomfort when tilting rearward over the rim of a shampoo sink.
Subjects confined to a wheel chair or hospital bed often can not assumed the tilt back posture or experience great pain or discomfort when attempting to do so. Consequently, these subjects must for go certain hair treatment. However, these individual would often greatly benefit from a boost of self esteem and sense of well being that is accompany by hair styling or permanent. Therefore, there is a need to be able to wash, treat and rinse a subject""s hair without the subject having to assumed a tilt back posture over the rim of the shampoo sink or bowl. Thus, objective of this invention is to produce a simple shield that will shield an individual and prevent the wearer""s face, body and clothing from becoming wet while the wearer""s hair is being washed, rinsed or otherwise treated with a substantial volume of liquids.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,354 to Jones has addressed these problems. However, the Jones"" patent is much more complicated and would be much more costly to manufacturer then the present invention. Further, the inventor has come with a means for placing his invention around the face area that enable his invention to fit all most all normal size heads. Therefore one size will fit almost everyone. Further, Jones"" patent does not have the funneling device of the present invention and thus, a sink would be necessary to catch the water run off of the shield.
Another attempt to solve the problem has been put for by U.S. Pat. No. 5,146,629 to Barns. This patent like Jones has the same problem in that their needs to be different designs for head sizes. The objective of the inventor""s invention is to create one shield that is able to fit on almost every head. Jones"" patent is also much more complicated and would be much more expensive to manufacturer then the simplicity of the inventor""s invention. Thus, one of the objective of this invention is to produce a simple shield that can be easily and inexpensively manufacturer, that is adapted for preventing a wearer""s face, clothing, and body from becoming wet when the wearer""s hair being washed, rinsed, or otherwise treated with substantial volume of liquid.
The present invention is a protective garment adapted to preventing a wearer""s face, clothing, and body and becoming wet while the wearer""s hair is being washed, rinsed or otherwise treated with substantial volume of liquid. The protective garment article includes a sheet member made out of a water proof substance that has a upper portion and a bottom portion. There is an opening in the upper portion of the sheet member. This means is connected to the sheet member to suitably hold opening fits around the wearer""s head at the hair line enabling the face portion of the head to be on one side of the sheet and the hair portion of the head to be on the other side of the sheet. Around this opening is a sealing means that forms a water proof seal around the wearer""s head. The bottom portion of the sheet is formed in a funnel like shape to enable the water or liquid placed on the head during washing, rinsing, shampooing or otherwise treating the hair to run down through the funnel to a collection hose or tank.